Prevention
Adoption Promotion & Support Services
Strength United works in collaboration with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to promote stability and permanency for children who have been abused. When reunion with parents is not possible and adoption is considered the best option for child stability and safety, Strength United provides services for adoptive families through the Adoption Promotion and Support Service (APSS) program.
Services are offered to families in need of adoption support or at risk of adoption disruption at any stage of the adoption process. Children in long-term foster care, foster parents, and prospective adoptive parents are provided with a range of services including:
- Case management
- Adoption-focused counseling – individual, family, group
- Mentoring for parents & children
- Support groups (see below for more information)
- Adoption-specific therapy
- Linkage services including, but not limited to: mental health services, regional center services for children with disabilities, chemical dependency programs, and social services
Our APSS program follows the seven core issues of adoption model, the five protective factors model and recognizes that there are distinctive types of adoptive families — kin, foster families who adopt, and families who are recruited and matched with children. These families may have different concerns and strengths, and thus, may require different types of support and services at varying times throughout the adoptive process.
The Adoption Promotion and Support Services program is a DCFS referral only program for Service Planning Area 2 (San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys) in Los Angeles County. In addition, we also provide services for our post-adoption families that don't have an open case with DCFS.
Foster parents, relatives, family members, and couples interested in adoption services can learn more by contacting our 24-Hour Support and Referral Line:
- (818) 886-0453
- (661) 253-0258
The Adoption Promotion and Support Service program hosts quarterly training for adoptive parents, foster parents and service providers on a range of topics impacting adoptions. To learn more, please contact (818) 787-9700.
This ongoing support group is open to all parents and family members of adopted and foster children. Parents come together for mutual support and encouragement; to exchange information and learn about the impact of adoption on child development; celebrate the joys and triumphs; and find understanding and solutions to struggles encountered when caring for adopted and foster children. For more information and questions, contact (818) 787-9700.
Through this group, teens will have the opportunity to:
- Make connections with teenage girls
- Learn coping and relaxation skills
- Discuss topics of self-esteem, body image, healthy relationships
To learn more, please contact (818) 787-9700.
Education & Prevention Programs
Strength United builds peaceful and healthy relationships between individuals and families and within communities. To this end, we are committed to ending all forms of violence wherever, whenever and with whomever, it occurs and providing resources for Violence Prevention Programs and Interventions.
Current Violence Prevention Programs:
A program for professionals, parents, and community which provides:
- Outreach to communities, schools, and agencies
- Education about the signs of child sexual abuse
- Guidelines for addressing sexual issues and preventing abuse
- Steps for helping your abused child
A peer education program in rape prevention conducted in collaboration with the Counseling Center at California State University, Northridge, which:
- Recruits students to serve as peer educators
- Educates students about rape and sexual assault
- Addresses the social and psychological culture of rape
- Provides training in conducting educational presentations to prevent rape
- Implements educational programs to university, college, and high school audiences
- Organizes campus activities to highlight sexual assault prevention
For more information on Project DATE, please see their website by clicking here.
What is Men CARE?
- Care is a peer education program and strives to bring awareness, in a non-threatening way, to how socialization and gender norms can promote violence. While MencARE focuses on healthy masculinity, all genders are welcome to join.
Why Men CARE?
- Sexual Assault and Rape remain a serious health and safety issue on campuses across the nation.
- When all genders work together to promote a violence-free society, rape and sexual assault won't exist.
- Men are critical allies in ending sexual assault. MenCARE is where people identifying as a male can join together with others and take action to end sexual violence.
Advantages of Joining
1. Receive priority registration.
2. Enhance your resume or graduate school application.
3. Gain valuable leadership experience.
4. Boost your public speaking, communication, and presentation skills.
5. Gain in-depth knowledge of rape, rape culture, and sexual assault.
6. Be able to help others and respond non-judgmentally.
Contact Project DATE- MenCARE
- Phone: (818) 787-9700
- Email: N/A
- Location: On the CSUN Campus
Safe Dates is a week-long curriculum designed for middle-school students to improve their relationships with their parents, friends, community, etc. StrengthUnited facilitates this curriculum in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys.
Students who complete the "Safe Dates curriculum have a better understanding of how to navigate their friendships and relationships by practicing consent, notice red flags of unhealthy behaviors, how to handle rejection, and much more.
If you are interested in having Safe Dates in your classroom or have any questions, please contact Omar Cardenas at Omar.Cardenas@strengthunited.org
Student Training Programs
Strength United provides hands-on, supervised training for social work and marriage and family therapy students and interns. Each year, students build their skills while providing crucial services to the center’s clients.
Group Programs & Classes
This group is available in English and runs for 12-weeks. The aim of this group is to:
- Understand trauma and the effects on ones’ self
- Discuss the impact of abuse
- Create a safe space
- Learn new coping, grounding, and self-care techniques
- Build a support system
This group is available in English and Spanish, runs for 12 weeks. Clients enrolled will be given information regarding:
- The different types of abuse in relationships
- Cycle of Violence
- Understanding strategies of perpetrators
- Red flags of an abusive relationship
- Myths and realities about domestic violence
- Safety Planning
- Special projects that empower group members
Group therapy available in English and Spanish, runs for 12-weeks. The focus of this group is:
- Parents understand their reactions towards their child’s behaviors
- Understanding beliefs and feelings about children’s misbehaviors
- Helping children manage their behavior
- Helping children handle and express their feelings
- Helping children cooperate
This group is available in English and runs for 12-weeks. The aim of this group is to:
- Provide education on normal emotional, physical, and psychological responses to experiencing sexual abuse as a child.
- Assist survivors in developing an understanding of the effects that experiencing sexual abuse as children may have on the survivor as an adult.
- Provide tools that will assist with managing intense emotions, stress, and undesired memories
- Be able to address any aspect of the trauma in a safe space.
- Assist survivors in having a more positive and accepting perception of themselves
This group is available in English and Spanish, runs for 12 weeks. Clients enrolled will be given information regarding:
- Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse
- The effects of trauma on the brain
- Short- and long-term impact of sexual abuse of minors
- Normal responses and reactions from parents/caregivers
- Signs of PTSD and resilience
- Developmental stages of appropriate sexual behavior
- Consequences of child sexual abuse
- Recovery of sexual abuse and prevention
- Family support services and community resources
- Coping and relaxation strategies
This group is available in English and runs for 12-weeks. Clients enrolled will be given information regarding:
- Discuss the impact of sexual abuse and the feelings that may occur after
- Education on normal emotional and physical experiences
- Learn the difference between healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships
- Determining healthy boundaries
- Education on safe sex and STD/STIs
- Learn ways to care about yourself
- Express feelings regarding disclosure of SA
This group is available in English and runs for 12-weeks. Clients enrolled will be given information regarding:
- Learn new coping and self-care techniques
- Provide psycho-education on the symptoms and effects of trauma
- Provide psycho-education on red-flags that may alert the client to potentially dangerous behavior.
- Psycho-education on setting boundaries
- Assist the client in being able to distinguish a healthy relationship with and unhealthy one.
- Be able to engage in self-nurturing behavior
- Provide tools and techniques to assist in healing from anger